Some conventional casting or molding machines include a single plunger that moves and packs the molten alloy through a transfer sleeve into a mold using increased force with unconstrained flow. This unconstrained flow has high surface area to volume ratio and thus a high heat transfer rate. As a result, the molten alloy loses heat to the machine components when transferred and/or injected into the mold.
When molding or casting a high aspect ratio part using amorphous alloys in some conventional systems, the molded part tends to be non-uniform and/or crystallized because the quenching rate of the mold is insufficient (e.g., the material cools too quickly on one side, and does not cool quickly enough on other side(s) (e.g., plunger side)). Increasing the speed or force of the single plunger rod does not reduce this problem.
Additionally, in horizontal injection systems, the molten material has to be retained in the melt zone so that it does not mix too much or cool too quickly.